Markham, Ontario is a major Asian-Canadian commercial centre in the Greater Toronto Area, with one of the largest concentrations of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and South Asian businesses in Canada. The Highway 7 and Steeles Avenue corridors host four anchor Asian malls — First Markham Place, Pacific Mall, Remington Centre, and Metro Square — plus countless plazas with restaurants, services, dental, optical, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. This guide currently focuses on First Markham Place merchants, with broader Markham context where known. Available in English, Simplified Chinese, and Cantonese-flavoured Traditional Chinese.
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Markham is a city in York Region just north of Toronto, Ontario. It is home to one of the largest Asian-Canadian populations in Canada, with dense clusters of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and South Asian communities. The Highway 7 and Steeles Avenue corridors are lined with Asian shopping malls (First Markham Place, Pacific Mall, Remington Centre, Market Village, Metro Square), restaurants, groceries, and professional services.
Four main Asian-focused malls anchor Markham: (1) First Markham Place (FMP) at 3255 Hwy 7 E — 180+ stores, 23+ restaurants, food court, optical/dental/TCM services; (2) Pacific Mall at 4300 Steeles Ave E — largest by shop count, famous food court; (3) Remington Centre at 4261 Hwy 7 E — dim sum, hot pot, Cantonese restaurants; (4) Metro Square at Warden/Steeles. FMP and Pacific Mall are the two most-visited by residents and tourists.
Yes — Markham is one of the most multilingual commercial zones in Canada. At Chinese-focused malls and plazas, Mandarin, Cantonese, and English are essentially standard. Korean is common at K-beauty stores (ARITAUM), Korean restaurants, and along areas with Korean presence (Finch-Steeles corridor). Vietnamese, Tagalog, Punjabi, and other languages are also available at respective businesses.
By car: free surface parking at all major Asian malls (FMP, Pacific Mall, Remington Centre, Metro Square). From downtown Toronto, 30-45 minutes via DVP/404 north or Hwy 7. By transit: YRT Viva Purple runs along Hwy 7 stopping at FMP; Pacific Mall is near Steeles Ave, accessible via TTC 53 Steeles East and YRT. From Toronto Pearson Airport, about 45 minutes by car.
Yes — most Markham medical, dental, optical, and TCM practices accept major Ontario group benefit plans (Sun Life, Manulife, Green Shield, Canada Life) and many can submit claims directly on the client’s behalf. Bring your benefit card and member ID. Verify direct billing for your specific plan by calling the provider before treatment.
Yes — Markham is widely considered a top GTA destination for authentic Asian dining, particularly Cantonese (dim sum, BBQ), Northern Chinese (Xi'an, Sichuan), Korean, and Vietnamese. The drive from downtown is 30-45 minutes via DVP/404 or Hwy 7. A typical day trip combines lunch at a sit-down restaurant (e.g. dim sum), browsing First Markham Place or Pacific Mall, and dessert/bubble tea. Bring cash for some traditional shops; most accept cards.
For first-time visitors: dim sum lunch at Crown Princess or Yang's Kitchen; Cantonese roast meats at 味香园 Excellent BBQ (FMP Unit 260); Xi'an specialties at Bingz (FMP Units 11-12); a Pacific Mall food court tour for variety. For a sit-down dinner: Casa Imperial (Cantonese fine dining). For something different: Korean BBQ at any of several Markham KBBQ joints, or Vietnamese pho at a Highway 7 plaza. Pacific Mall is also a tourist destination in itself.
Naturally gluten-free Asian options in Markham include: Vietnamese (rice-based pho, banh mi on rice paper, but watch the soy sauce); Korean bibimbap (rice base, ask about marinades); Thai (rice noodles, fish sauce); some Chinese Hakka cuisine. Cantonese cuisine and most Northern Chinese (wheat noodles, dumplings) are heavily gluten-containing. Confirm with each restaurant — kitchens may use shared surfaces. Some Markham restaurants explicitly mark GF items on menus.
Yes — YRT Viva Purple runs along Highway 7 from VMC station; you can transfer from TTC Line 1 (Vaughan) or Line 4 (Sheppard). For Pacific Mall: TTC 53 Steeles East from Finch Station. Travel time from downtown: 60-90 minutes typically. GO Train to Markham GO Station serves the older town centre area. By car is significantly faster (30-45 min) but transit is viable.
Toronto Chinatown (Spadina/Dundas) is older, leans Cantonese-American with established institutions, more walkable, and tourist-friendly. Markham is newer, more diverse (Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong, Taiwanese, Korean, Vietnamese), more authentic to recent immigration waves, and car-oriented. For dim sum and old-school Cantonese, Chinatown still excels. For Sichuan, Xi'an, Korean, K-beauty, and contemporary Cantonese, Markham is stronger. Many Toronto residents travel to Markham specifically for Asian food.
Information compiled from public sources (Google Maps, mall directory, Yelp). For the most current details, please contact the business directly.